Professional Roofing Done Right: How to Protect Yourself From Scammers

Professional Roofing Done Right: How to Protect Yourself From Scammers

part_1How Clients Get Scammed

With so many homeowners asking for help with fixing or installing their roofs, it’s not surprising that professional roof-ing businesses enjoy one of the most sta-ble markets. Unfortunately, not all roofing contractors provide the level of service that homeowners are paying for. Some of them are more concerned about lining up their own pockets rather than providing

customer satisfaction.

Professional Roofing Done Right: How to Protect Yourself From Scammers

A few examples:

In 2013 a lot of homeowners in Tampa fell victim to scammers posing as a legit roofing company. The com-pany offered homeowners a new roof at very attractive price. One of the victims authorized the company to take $9000 from their insurance, but got nothing more than excuses for why nothing happened for three months. The victim ended up hiring a different contractor to work on the roof, which also forced her to spend even more cash.

In some cases, the contractors actually get work fin-ished, but the homeowners are blindsided by hid-den costs. What happens is that the contractor (the scammer) gets the money from the client, which hires third party contractors and suppliers to work on the roof. Instead of paying the third party contractors with the money provided by the client, the scammer leaves with all the money. This leaves the client having to pay up to thousands of dollars for the unpaid labor and materials.

Scammers can cost home-owners more than a lot of cash and an unfinished roof. An unfinished roof is still vulnerable to more roofing damage, which may require more expensive repairs if not addressed properly. Unfortunately, by this point, the client doesn’t have the cash to fix the roof. Going to the insurance company isn’t a good option, since a second insurance claim (for the same reason) in such a short notice is less likely to be approved.

Some consider providing poor service as a form of scamming. Most of the time, poor service refers to hav-ing poorly-installed roofing, but there are cases when the repairs are done right, but finished way behind schedule. Either way, it’s strongly advised to steer clear of those kinds of contractors.

Part 1 - How Clients Get Scammed

Professional Roofing Done Right: How to Protect Yourself From Scammers

part_2Signs of a Scammer

Being cautious is the number one rule when it comes to keeping yourself safe from danger, or in this case, getting scammed. This can be a difficult thing for many homeowners because they’re un-aware of what to watch out for. If you no-tice any of the signs pointed out here, it’s

better to look for a different option.

Professional Roofing Done Right: How to Protect Yourself From Scammers

1. If it’s too good to be true, then it probably isn’t true.Remember the example in the first part of this blog post? The scammer got to their clients by saying they don’t have to spend anything for their new roof since they will use money from the client’s insurance com-pany. Of course a lot of people would fall for that trick: roofing costs money and they’ll be more than willing to be the cheapest option available.

Let’s be realistic here: you can’t expect something that will require so many materials and labor to be free or cheap. If someone offers you roof repair that’s so cheap right from the start, don’t even bother with that contrac-tor. A good roofing contractor will send an inspector and evaluate the damage on your roof before coming up with a reasonable estimate.

Part 2 - Signs of a Scammer

Professional Roofing Done Right: How to Protect Yourself From Scammers

2. Be careful of low quotes with high down paymentIt’s normal for roofing contractors to ask for some down payment; it’s their way to make sure they still earn something in case you decide to change your mind. Scammers take advantage of this by offering a lower overall cost, but with a higher initial down payment.

But how much is too much for an initial cost? Most con-tractors ask for an upfront of about 15-30% of the total cost of the entire project. If it gets any higher than that, it can mean two things: they don’t have the resources to make sure your roof will be fixed properly or they’re more concerned about the money than the actual work. There are cases when scammers even run away right after getting the down payment from their client.

3. Avoid the old bait & switchImagine your contractor promised a specific type of material for your roof plus some estimates of what your home will look like afterwards, and then you ended up with something completely different. That’s pretty much how it will go if you fell for the bait and switch technique.Avoiding this can be difficult, because you’ll only know it when the project’s already started. Still, you can watch out for early signs such as very low overall costs com-pared to the actual value of the materials promised, or initial quotes that do not have specific details on the necessary materials.

Watching out for signs of scamming is great, but look-ing for good characteristics in a roofing contractor is even better. Okay, so you might have been able to avoid scammers, but you still have to deal with substandard ones. Fortunately, avoiding a scammer and looking good roofing contractor at the same time is not that hard, find out howin the next section - Part 3.

Part 2 - Signs of a Scammer

Professional Roofing Done Right: How to Protect Yourself From Scammers

part_3Characteristics You Want

in a Roofing Contractor

Professional Roofing Done Right: How to Protect Yourself From Scammers

1. The right paperworkA license is more than just proof that a roofing con-tractor can work on your roof. It is also a sign that the contractor has passed certain quality standards set by the local government. Certificates are also a good indication of a contractor’s qualifications, especially if these certificates are from reputable organizations. Just make sure that the licenses are valid (some con-tractors have expired licenses, which are basically pointless) and the organization that provided the cer-tificate is relevant to the roofing industry.

2. The right feedbackChecking out a contractor’s feedback is also a great way to get an idea of how competent the contractor is. Reputable contractors usually have a lot of great customer feed-back, but relatively new contractors with 5 to 6 positive reviews is also a good choice. Just make sure you’re reading genuine customer feed-back; if the feedback looks too bi-ased in the contractors favor, it might be nothing more than a paid review.

A lot of homeowners are overwhelmed by the sheer number of available roofing contractors to choose from. This is because most of them are too caught up with the wrong priorities, of-ten looking for the “best” option available. Take a look at each roofer available in your area and you’ll notice that most of them will claim that they are the best in the business, so good luck sorting through all of those “best” roof-ers. Here’s list of things that roofing contractor should have as proof that they’re worth hiring.

Part 3 - Characteristics You Want in a Roofing Contractor

Professional Roofing Done Right: How to Protect Yourself From Scammers

3. The right attitudeDedication to customers is perhaps the most im-portant characteristic of a good roofing contrac-tor. Dedicated roofing contractors are always on time, whether it’s just an initial meeting with the client or when following the project schedule. A good roofing contractor will also make sure that you are satisfied with the results, and have the right explanations in case some changes are necessary. Last but not least, a good roofing contractor will be more than willing to make up to the client in case something wrong happens in-stead of just coming up with a bunch of excuses.

You may not find the best roofer in town, but hav-ing a roofing contractor that you can trust is good enough to get the job done. There are still more honest roofers than there are scammers, but a little caution can go a long way.

Part 3 - Characteristics You Want in a Roofing Contractor

Professional Roofing Done Right: How to Protect Yourself From Scammers

AffordAble roofing SyStemS12573 n. U.S. Highway 301 thonotosassa, fl 33592

tel: 813-400-2515813-986-6683

(813) 400-2515

www.Affordableroofingflorida.com